


Chemistry

by dragonflew



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, My First Work in This Fandom, Oneshot, chem is difficult okay, self indulgent, slight projection of my struggles with chem, spiderman - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:01:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23911246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonflew/pseuds/dragonflew
Relationships: Peter Parker/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 38





	Chemistry

First period was the worst. 8 am? Chemistry? Sitting next to Peter Parker who was annoyingly good at your worst subject? Gross.

Today was especially bad. You stare blankly at your notes on entropy. Theoretically, all this was correct, but you also had no idea what any of it meant. What had you been thinking when you signed up for Chem?

Peter, on the other hand, was having no problems whatsoever. He was already on the second page of the worksheet. You, on the other hand, were trying to figure out how you'd managed to get 1.2367 when by all accounts the answer should have been negative.

When the bell rang, you make a small noise of impatient frustration. You'd taken the whole period to finish one question, you weren't quite sure if you'd gotten it right, and the class had been assigned another worksheet for homework. You are just about ready to cry, except you'd rather die than let your tears fall in school.

"You okay?"

Peter, was looking at you, concerned. You're fairly sure you'd hate him for being annoyingly nice and a genius if he weren't a complete dork who also happened to be best friends with your best friend.

You muster a small smile. "Fine. I'm definitely fine."

"I-uh I can help you." he blurts out. "With chemistry, I mean. Uh. I mean. Not that I think you need help specifically or you're bad at it or anything, but if you ever have any questions.." he trails off awkwardly.

You had your pride, but there was no saving face with chemistry. "Please." you tell him, gratefully. "Chem is driving me insane."

He brightens up, happy that he hasn't somehow offended you. Not that you could ever be offended at anything anyone says about your skills in chemistry, because they are terrible. "After school? I'm going to Ned's in the evening to do some homework."

\---

The three of you meet up, Ned not hiding his obvious delight at his two friends finally getting along better. You suppose it's your fault really, you couldn't help feeling slightly intimidated by Peter with his ridiculously good maths and science grades, and you'd shut him out. Definitely nothing to do with the fact that he was cute and the first time you'd met, you'd been a complete mess at orientation day and tripped over the staircase.

Focus. you tell yourself. Just because he's cute doesn’t mean you like him.

The problem was that besides being cute, he was also annoyingly nice.

Fortunately, chemistry is tough enough that it kills nearly all your brain cells, leaving none capable of thinking about anything else, no matter how cute.

On question 3, you groan and slump in your chair. Ned is building a lego Deathstar and humming some overly cheerful tune. Peter is sat next to him on the floor, trying to figure out how to make it fly, occasionally asking Ned some indecipherable questions you assume have to do with mechanics.

The two of them look up.

"What's wrong?" Ned puts down his death star carefully.

"Can I drop chemistry?"

"I'm like, 99% sure there's steps you can take before that," Peter suggests.

You crack a smile. "Like?"

"You could let him help." Ned says pointedly.

He has a point, you supposed. You had waved off all help when you arrived, insisting you wanted to figure it out yourself. After all, how were you supposed to remember anything if you were just told it?

"Let me see." Peter comes to look over your shoulder at your page of crossed out workings. "That's… that's not bad. We can work with this. Yeah."

"You're a terrible liar."

Two weeks later, you've fallen into a routine. A few times a week, the three of you would hang out, do homework. construct a death star, and in your case, get headaches over chemistry.

"You forgot the Gibbs equation exists," Peter informs you.

You put your head in your hands. "I'm an idiot."

"Y/N. No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Ned, tell her Y/N she's not an idiot."

"She's not an idiot," says Ned automatically, not looking up from his book.

One glance at Peter and you both crack up despite your best efforts.

"Feel better?" Peter asks, when you both finally regain your composure.

"Lots." You straighten your back and pick up your calculator. "Okay, I can do this."

A week later, the term test results are returned. You manage a high B in Chemistry, which you consider a win.

You turn to Peter with a wide smile, flipping your test paper over to show him the grade. He claps silently but enthusiastically, smiling back.

After class, you nearly explode out of the room. "Ned! NED! I passed chem! I have a B!"

Ned whoops and gives you a thumbs up. "I knew you could do it!"

"Thanks, Peter." You look at him gratefully. "You really did save my grade."

"Nah, it was all you. I just helped. A little."

"A little?"

"Okay, maybe more than that." He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. "It's nothing, really."

"I owe you one." You give him a quick, grateful side hug.

"No! I mean, no, you don’t gotta do anything, it was really nice studying with you, wait, I mean-"he trails off.

"Uh.. I'm gonna get some food now. See you guys at lunch later." Ned gives Peter a look and wanders off, leaving the two of you in the hallway.

You look at Peter, puzzled. "Don’t you usually eat lunch together?"

"Yeah, he's-" Peter hesitates. "Um. Doing something," he finishes vaguely, waving a hand in the general direction of the cafeteria.

"Okay," you waver, unsure. "Aren't you going to eat too?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Let's go."

Ned grins widely when you two join him at the table. Peter shakes this head at him, and he frowns.

You look from one to the other, now extremely confused. "What's going on?"

Ned starts to say something, but Peter cuts him off with: "Nothing! Nothing at all!" He looks pretty jittery, bouncing his leg under the table, drumming his fingers on his tray.

Michelle, who is sitting at the far end of the table, looks up from her book. "Doesn't look like nothing," she comments, voicing your thoughts.

You take pity on Peter, who is starting to do his deer in headlights expression, and drop the subject.

Slamming your locker shut, you hurry to leave school. You can't wait to go home and vegetate for a couple of hours.

As you start your walk home, balancing your folders in your arms, Peter catches up with you.

"Need some help?" Always the gentleman.

"What, you think I can't handle myself?" you ask teasingly, but you gratefully let him take some of your books. He never seems to have anything in his arms, somehow managing to fit everything in a small backpack.

"So, you know how you said you owe me one?" he asks, trying to sound casual, but talking too quickly.

"Yes," you say, wondering where he's going. He sounds nervous.

"Um…"

"Not if it's illegal," you say, trying to lighten the mood.

"Haha. Yes. I mean, no. No, it's not illegal, I- uh"

You wait patiently for him to collect his thoughts, stumbling over his words. "Take your time."

"I mean to say, um, would you like to go get ice cream together sometime?" He runs the words together, blurting it out all at once.

You stop walking.

"Like, just us?"

"…Yes?"

"Like…a date?"

"If you want it to be." He hesitates. "But you don't have to just cause I helped you with chemistry or anything, you can say no.'

People walk around you, taking no notice of the two teenagers stopped in the middle of the pavement. The sky seems brighter, somehow.

"Okay, I'll just…go then." He takes your stunned silence as a rejection, shifting from one foot to the other nervously. 'Sorry."

"Peter, wait." You regain control of your voice. "I'd like to get ice cream. With you."

His face brightens up immediately. "Really? Okay, wow. I-when are you free?"

You look at the books in your arms then back at him, smiling. "I guess I could study tomorrow instead."


End file.
